Paul and his family lived on a campus because his father Thane was a teacher at the all-girls boarding school Queenswood School.
At the age of 16, Bettany lost his brother Matthew, who was only 8 when he died. Matthew fell from a tennis pavilion roof onto a concrete floor and lost his life. After he lost his brother, Paul dropped out of the school and left his home. He started living on his own in a small flat and earned money by playing guitar on the streets as a busker.